


Dirty

by hatstea



Series: glass house (k. howard) [1]
Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: anne just wants to protect her cousin, protect k howard 2k19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 18:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19751308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hatstea/pseuds/hatstea
Summary: Katherine is a bit of a mess. The girls just want to help her.





	Dirty

**Author's Note:**

> Just a bit of information  
> The girls have known each other for a year (except Anne & Kat and Jane & Cathy)  
> Catherine (Aragon) is 33  
> Anne is 22  
> Jane is 31  
> Anna is 24  
> Kat (Howard) is 18  
> Cathy (Parr) is 22

“This is her third shower today. Is no one else here worried?” Anne quietly asked Anna and Cathy, who were waiting outside of the bathroom door.  
Anna shrugged and looked to Cathy, who was thinking of how to respond.  
“Of course we’re worried. We're always worried about her. She had it bad – far worse than Anna and I, at least, but she's eighteen, she doesn't want us babying her anymore,” Cathy said, hoping her answer would be enough for Anne to drop the subject.  
“Exactly! She's only eighteen! She shouldn't have to go through this alone!” Anne exclaimed. She was always worrying about Kat lately. With Jane busy, Kat didn't have anyone to go to when things got rough, and when Anne tried to step up to be that person, she got shut down. Anne knew her cousin better than anyone — even Jane — did, and she knew something was wrong. And she was going to find out.  
“She isn't alone, Anne. She has all of-” She door suddenly creaked open, revealing Kat, wrapped in a white towel, her wet hair dripping onto the bathroom floor.  
“I can hear you guys, you know. I'm fine. You're worrying over nothing,” the teen said, managing a smile that would be rather convincing, if it weren't for her red eyes and puffy cheeks. “Just-go help Catherine with dinner or something. I'll be down in a few.” The three girls on the other side of the door shared a look before nodding. Cathy and Anna left first, leaving Anne alone with Kat.  
“Kitty, I-” she started, but was cut off by the door being closed on her. With a sigh, she turned away and caught up with the other two girls. 

Jane came home late that night. Really late. The house was so dark and quiet — a rarity when you live with five other girls — that if she didn't know any better, she'd think no one was home. Of course, that wasn't true thought.  
As she quietly crept up the stairs, the dark hallway filled with light. Strange, she thought, but realized the light was coming from under the bathroom door, and thought nothing of it. At least she didn't until she passed, and heard quiet sobs from behind the door. That was definitely strange. She quickly rushed down the hall to set down her purse and tend to whoever was behind the door. She could hear the water running, strange, considering it was nearly two in the morning, but she decided that was the least of her worries. She gently knocked on the door, shifted back on her heels, and the crying stopped, thought she could still her heavy breathing from whoever was in there.  
“Hello?” Jane said softly, knocking again. “Who's in there?” She spoke up again, hoping for a response, but nothing. She waited there for a few minutes, but when she realized whoever was in there wasn't going to answer her, she left. She didn't want to, of course, but she was nearly asleep just standing there, and that wasn't helping either of them.  
Behind the door, Katherine was standing in the shower, letting the water pour over her back. Truthfully, she hadn't even heard Jane. Her thoughts were too loud for her to hear anything else. For the fourth time that day, she picked up her shower sponge and scrubbed away at her skin till it was red and raw. She didn't care that it burned under the water, or that she was probably going to bleed any minute. She just felt so dirty. Memories of Mannox and Dereham and Henry and Thomas plagued her head, even in her sleep. All she could see when she closed her eyes was one of the men doing everything she didn't want them to do. Even when she was out in town or doing a show, she'd see one of them in a strangers face and she wouldn't know what to do. She knew the odds of them being back were slim, and the odds of her running into one of them, in a city as big as London, were even slimmer, and that those odds should make her feel better, but somehow they just made her feel worse.  
She scrubbed until the water ran cold and she could feel the goosebumps forming all over her body. Even then, she didn't want to stop. 

The next morning was no different than any other. Catherine sat at the head of the table, reading the newspaper and sipping on her coffee - hot and black, just how she liked it. Next to her was Cathy, who was chatting away with Anne and Anna. Jane was making breakfast for the girls before leaving again. Kat wasn't quite sure where she fit in. Just looking at Cathy, Anne, and Anna, she could tell they were too far into their conversation for her to just jump in, Catherine didn't like to be bothered in the morning, and Jane clearly didn't need any help. So, she sat down at the other head of the table and just stared down at her hands, picking at her cuticles to keep herself occupied. None of the other girls had even noticed her.  
About fifteen minutes later, Jane came to the table with plates of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. She took a seat in between Anne and Kat, giving them each a smile. Catherine said grace and the girls began to make their plates. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before someone spoke up.  
Jane.  
“So, who was showering at 2 this morning?” She asked, watching as all the girls shrugged. Except for Anne. She was looking right at Kat. Jane picked up on this and turned over to Kat, a look of confusion on her face.  
“Kat? Wh-”  
“Katherine, what's going on?! You showered four times yesterday! That's not normal!” Anne exclaimed, cutting Jane off. Clearly she had been bottling that one up. Kat flinched back a bit and looked up at Anne, who was standing now. Catherine put a shoulder on Anne's shoulder, gently pushing her back down into her seat before Anne swatted her hand away. “No, really, I want to know! We've been worried about you all week!”  
Kat looked back down at her hands, which were now on the table rather than in her lap. Jane noticed this and put one of her hands on top of Kat’s, nodding when the teenager looked up at her.  
“I-um..” she started, glancing at all the girls, but not quite making eye contact with any of them. “Mannox. 483 years ago tomorrow,” she said simply, biting the inside of her lips when she was done. She could feel the sympathetic looks, and she hated it. She quickly shot up from her seat and ran up the stairs, ignoring the girls pleading her to come back to the table.  
Once Kat reached her room, she immediately collapsed onto her bed, letting her emotions take over. She felt the tears forming in her eyes, the breath caught in her throat, her hands shaking as she tried to push herself up. She managed to sit up for a second, but fell over when the weight on her shoulders became too much.  
She didn't look up when she heard her door creep open or when she felt the bed dip by her head.  
“Kitty..” the voice whispered. Kat didn't say anything as she moved towards the voice, resting her head in the lap of the girl.  
“A-Annie-” Kat said just as quietly, maybe even quieter.  
“I'm so sorry..” Anne said, running her fingers through Kat’s newly pink hair.  
“It h-hurts.. how-how could I be so stupid? He-He didn't love me.. none of them did..” Kat managed to get out, letting the tears finally fall.  
“They may not have, but I do. We all do.” Anne gestures to the door, where the rest of the girl stood. Kat slowly sat up, leaning on Anne to keep her upright. Jane came in first, followed by Catherine, and then Anna and Cathy. Somehow, they all managed to squeeze into Kat's bed, and they all just sat there, the only noise in the room being an occasional sniffle from Kat.


End file.
